Jeremiah is sent to prophesy God’s words to Zedekiah and the delegates of the kings visiting him, “It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me.” They were to serve Nebuchadnezzar, or be punished with sword, famine and pestilence.
From a natural point of view, relinquishing their national identity to serve a foreign king, instead of remaining autonomous, ostensibly a nation serving God, seems like a bad idea. Yet in two chapters time we discover that this submission and the captivity it involved was for the benefit of God’s people. The same can be true in our lives, being placed in circumstances that don’t make sense to us, yet it is for our benefit rather than detriment.
We can take comfort in knowing that God’s arm is outstretched to save, and that He knows us better than we know ourselves. “Even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”